Ohio Earthquakes 2011: Owner To Lower Well Pressure

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The owner of a northeast Ohio well used to dispose of wastewater from oil and gas drilling plans to remove material from it to help lower its inner pressure following 11 minor earthquakes.

State officials say they believe injecting wastewater near a fault line created enough pressure to cause seismic activity. The latest and largest quake was Saturday in the Youngtown area and registered at magnitude 4.0, which can cause moderate damage.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday that Northstar Disposal Services LLC is taking 12 holding tanks to the site of the now-shuttered injection well to pump the material into the tanks.

Department spokesman Jason Fallon says he's unsure when the removal will start but seven tanks are already on the site.

The company hasn't returned phone and email messages left after business hours Wednesday.